Your A Class reccomendations (1 Viewer)

[sdc77]

After visiting a Sussex dealer and having a look at an A class.. We have decided to look at getting one. It has to be 4 berth at least (with equivalent travelling seats)..

We like Rapido and Burstner .. And I would prefer a Mercedes engine.. (it can be over 3.5t)

We can only really justify spending £25000 ish on it.

What do people recommend and why?

I know there's a lot of factors.. But I'm after people's first choices.

 

[mitzimad]

After visiting a Sussex dealer and having a look at an A class.. We have decided to look at getting one. It has to be 4 berth at least (with equivalent travelling seats)..

We like Rapido and Burstner .. And I would prefer a Mercedes engine.. (it can be over 3.5t)

We can only really justify spending £25000 ish on it.

What do people recommend and why?

I know there's a lot of factors.. But I'm after people's first choices.

mate of mine was talking about selling his merc a class and he is in canvey i cant recall which it is, could be a concorde but quite old late nineties let me know if your interested

 

[lorger]

Don't think you would go far wrong with an old Hymer these things where built to last, a few members on here have older ones and they swear they are far superior to the new ones.

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[HymerB544]

A class

Hi, when we were looking to swap our almost new low profile for our first A class, we'd already been motor homing long enough to realise that when it comes to A class vans, the German ones are best. Anything from the Hymer group is likely to be a good choice (Hymer, Dethleffs, Burstner) though I believe they also now own Rapido and Laika, both good quality brands.

We eventually settled on a 5 year old Hymer, which the only previous owner had spent a lot of cash on kitting out with a load of extras (leather trim. Oyster 85 auto satellite system, aircon, awning, microwave) and we just added Gaslow. It has a 3.9 tonne max weight, and a double floor for great storage and insulation and I can see it lasting us at least another 8 years on top of the 2 we've had it so far.

There is a wide range if older A class vans around at very reasonable prices. Our friends recently sold their 2005 Hymer B504 for only £22000 and it was a belter. If you're looking at long term touring, an A class ticks a lot of boxes, so happy hunting!:thumb:

 

[Bellini]

£25,000 would buy you a nice late 90's Hymer.

There's a lovely Fiat-based 6 wheel tag-axle one for sale in Motorhome Trader for £22,500 with a fixed rear bed, overcab double and a single in the dinette (a layout that suits a family where the children sleep seperately), but only 3 forward-facing travelling seats with the potential to add a 4th seatbelt on the settee if you wish depending on how you view seatbelt regs.

Alternatively, and for far less, buy a mid-90's Hymer S660 or S670 (the S denotes Mercedes running gear) if you can find one. There's a few nice ones in Germany and The Netherlands for much less than your budget and these all have dinette seats that you can easily add 3-point forward seatbelts to, if not already fitted.

Don't be put-off by left-hand-drive either. I drove a LHD S670 recently and it was so easy to drive on UK roads and really no issue at all.

Like you, though, I also gave myself an identical budget for an A-Class (Merc-Hymer preferred) and am now waiting to collect another Merc-based A-Class from Germany, but at £15,000. My logic, as advised by others on this forum, is the savings will go towards any upgrades and servicing needed.

Do let us know how you get on. I'm really keen to know what you decide.:thumb:

 

[normanandsue]

We own a Niesmann+ Bischoff 1999 Arto which I bought as a project, despite it having all the kit and features and build quality that have already been mentioned my greatest joy is to know that even though my mh is 14 years old all the parts right down to locker catches are all still available; at a price.

This may not be important if you are buying a newer mh but if you are buying an older mh it is a very big plus. Having not owned a Hymer I cannot comment on availability of parts but I would be surprised if their parts are not similarly available.

Whilst a Merc engine is good I would not discount the Fiat Ducatto engine of the period you are interested in they were widely used and as equally reliable as the Merc and probably cheaper to maintain,

Have fun I love our A Class and will not swap it.

Norman

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[sdc77]

Thanks for the advice
We've seen 2005 ones in our price bracket
We certainly want the fixed rear bedroom.. And over 3.5 ton weight
I am surprised re the comparison between the Peugeot and merc engines/drive trains .. I would have thought the merc was much better.. Esp with its timing chain

I'm here to learn tho. :thumb:

 

[bobandjanie]

We sold our a class in July a Eura Mobil on a 2.7 Mercedes great van good on fuel and it had the sprint shift gear box, had it 4 1/2 years and no problems we did 30.000 miles in it.

I would say the finish was better than a Hymer. :hardhat: Bob.

 

[Steveboy]

Rapido 972M ticks all the boxes for me. Over 2 years fulltime in her now and no complaints. One thing though. On the Merc Sprinter chassis i would recommend air bag suspension. Reduces the roll and brilliant to get that extra bit of clearance or levelling at the back.

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[FIDGET]

Hi , personally I prefer Pilote m/h a class, Had my first (second hand) for 7 years not 1 problem in that time , layout suited me , only changed oil and filters each year and had a full service every 3 years. based on Puegeot. now on my second Pilote , this time 2006 Reference 622 similar layout 6mtr 4 berth.
:rain:Terry:rain:

 

[sdc77]

6m... Ideal.. Currently our van is 7.4m... Too big for the drive..

 

[canopus]

If you're minted, then what about this beauty?


http://showroom.southdownsmotorcaravans.co.uk/for-sale/u2980-used-carthago-opus-52-motorhome.pdf

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